Texas senator blames DACA for flood of kids at the border. Program is not at fault.

There he goes again. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is throwing a wrench into a critical public policy debate. While President Obama is seeking $3.7 billion from Congress to deal with the child migrant crisis on the border, Cruz says he will only approve it if the Obama administration ends its Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. "We are focused on ensuring that DACA is stopped and working with colleagues to make sure that happens," Cruz's spokesperson said in an email. "DACA overall is a terrible policy. The senator wants to stop it."

Cruz's proposal is destructive and based on falsehoods. It serves no legitimate purpose. Worse, it threatens to upend the futures of thousands of young immigrants who have nothing to do with the current border situation.

DACA was introduced by the Obama administration two years ago. It grants relief from deportation to immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children, and allows them to live and work openly. So far, over 600,000 young people have qualified for its protection.

According to Cruz, DACA is to blame for the recent influx of child migrants. "The only way to stop the border crisis is to stop President Obama's amnesty," Cruz said in a statement. "If we do not put an end to its expansion — to the promise of amnesty that is the reason so many are coming — then more little boys and girls will be trafficked, abused, and even killed." But DACA is not amnesty. It does not give anyone a right to stay here permanently. It does not offer citizenship or even a green card. It is a temporary form of relief that must be renewed every two years.

What's more, the rise in the number of unaccompanied children at the border began in 2009 — and DACA was not introduced until June 2012.

While Cruz is promoting his proposal to fellow conservatives, not everyone is onboard. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who opposed DACA when it was introduced, told Politico that it would be "incredibly disruptive to try to repeal (DACA) for those who have already accessed the program." House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has declined to comment on Cruz's latest political stunt. Rubio, Boehner, and other Republicans likely recognize that Cruz's proposal is right up there with his bone-headed idea to shut down the government.

If Cruz does not like DACA, that is his problem. The program has withstood legal challenges and is broadly popular with the public. It has enabled young immigrants to pursue higher education and better economic opportunities. Now Cruz is conflating the program with the crisis at the border. This is misleading and adds nothing constructive to a complex debate. Besides, at least the president is trying to do something about the influx of child migrants. If Cruz holds the Obama administration's funding request hostage to his demands, he will only exacerbate the situation at the border by letting it drag on longer.

Cruz's anti-DACA crusade is as cynical as it is unconscionable. His attempt to exploit the border crisis for political gain is self-serving, mean-spirited, and pointless.

Raul Reyes is an attorney in New York and a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors.